IOM Senegal COVID-19 Response Activity Report: Migration Health Department – March to September 2020 60 points of entry (PoEs) were reinforced to scale up The Warning Team of the Ministry of Health and Social surveillance, prevention and communication of risks Action and Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) about COVID-19. Border Epidemiological Surveillance Centre were rein- 60 PoEs were assessed to identify their public health forced and supported in staffing. needs and capacities related to the COVID-19 re- Financial support: XOF 104,000,000 or $ 185,000 sponse. 1,295 agents received training in health control and preventive measures against COVID-19 at 56 terrestri- al PoEs and 4 other priority sites. 15,000 materials and equipment were distributed at PoEs (including hand-washing stations, thermoflashs, face masks and hygiene items). Point d’entrée de Rosso, Saint-Louis © OIM, 07.20 54 community radio programmes, 1 awareness- raising caravan, 1 awareness-raising campaign were conducted in border health districts. 160 community relays were supported to conduct health control at PoEs and home visits in border health districts. Training at the PoE of Doumbé Diabé (Saint-Louis) © IOM, 09.07.20 COVID-19 Situation Overview in Senegal On 2nd March 2020, Senegal reported its first case of COVID-19. After closing Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) on 13 As of 30 September 2020, the official toll included 14,982 con- March 2020, priority was given to terrestrial PoEs to prevent firmed cases, 2,233 still under treatment, 12,437 recovered, 311 the spread of the COVID-19 through travellers’ movement. The deaths (case-fatality rate of 2.1%), 14/14 regions affected, and reopening of the air borders was effective on 15 July, subject 71/79 health districts affected. to conditions to meet by travellers (negative COVID-19 test or On 14 March, the Senegalese authorities decreed the systematic sampling for tests upon arrival at the airport). strengthening of health controls at land, air and sea borders. IOM’s Support to the Ministry of Health and Social Action (MSAS) Under the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), the Interna- -tion of PoEs within the UN System (UNS) in Senegal. The Or- tional Organization for Migration (IOM), which receives technical ganization’s intervention between March and September 2020 and financial support from the Centers for Disease Control and (end of the project) focused mainly on supporting administra- Prevention (CDC), has been supporting the Ministry of Health tive and health authorities to conduct risk communication and and Social Action (Ministère de la Santé et de l’Action sociale – community engagement activities in border areas, as well as MSAS) since 2016 to strengthen public health capacities at the strengthening surveillance and prevention at PoEs. This ap- various PoEs into Senegal. The main activities implemented in- proach was based on the Government of Senegal’s strategy for clude the development of a Public Health Emergency Response decentralising COVID-19 preparedness and response. The medi- Plan for AIBD, the development of priority public health stand- cal regions and border health districts (Kédougou, Tambacoun- ard operating procedures (SOPs), training of agents as well as da, Kolda, Sédhiou, Ziguinchor, Saint-Louis, Matam, Fatick, Kao- simulation exercises at air, sea and land PoEs. lack, and Kaffrine) as well as AIBD (Thiès) and the Port of Dakar Within the framework of the COVID-19 response, IOM, as the (Dakar) were targeted. UN Migration Agency, supports the Government’s border inter- 1/9 IOM Senegal’s COVID-19 Response – Key Results Partnership and Coordination Risks Communication and Community Engagement In the early stages of the pandemic, IOM participated in In the Sédhiou Region, the Regional Youth Inspectorate meetings under the Incident Management System (IMS) held at (Inspection régionale de la Jeunesse) was supported to conduct the Senegalese Health Emergency Operation Centres (Centre a 2-day awareness-raising campaign on COVID-19 with 83 young des Opérations d’Urgence Sanitaire - COUS), as well as those of people in 9 border villages. Hygiene products and masks were the National Epidemic Management Committee (Comité Nation- distributed to young people. al de Gestion des Epidémies - CNGE) at the MSAS. The Organiza- The health authorities in Sédhiou, Ziguinchor, Kolda, Tamba- tion also participates in UNS coordination meetings on UN counda and Kédougou were supported to promote radio pro- agencies’ commitment and contribution to the COVID-19 re- grammes on COVID-19 (54 in total, including 9 to 12 pro- sponse and is designated as the lead agency of the PoEs com- grammes per region, among the medical regions and border mission. health districts). As the Maka Colibantang health district In addition, IOM conducted joint missions with WHO and UN- (Tambacounda Region) does not have a community radio, an HCR in the regions of Matam (25–30 May), Kolda, Sédhiou, and awareness-raising caravan was conducted instead. Kédougou (23 May to 3 June), Ziguinchor (9–19 June), Saint- Louis (24 June to 2 July and 14-28 September), with the main objective of supporting these regions in strengthening their health control and surveillance system set up at PoEs for the COVID-19 response. The development of “health control and surveillance plans at PoEs and border areas” was supported for Co the regions of Kolda, Saint-Louis, Matam, and Ziguinchor. Assessment of public health capacity and needs at the point of entry of Dolol (Matam) © IOM, 7 July 2020 A financial incentive (2 to 4 months) was provided to communi- ty relays in 21 border health districts in the regions of Tamba- counda, Kédougou, Kolda, Sédhiou and Ziguinchor, to support them in their efforts to respond to COVID-19 in border areas. These community relays trained during training sessions on Visit to the point of entry of Rosso during the IOM/WHO joint mission in COVID-19 (see “Point of entry” section), conducted safe home Saint-Louis © IOM, 15 Sept. 2020 visits (more than 8,400 visits were conducted). IOM participated in, together with WHO, CDC and other part- ners, and provided technical and financial support to the Disease Surveillance “quarterly national supervision mission of the regional system The MSAS’s Warning Team was supported by taking charge of 3 to respond to COVID-19 pandemic at PoEs prone to high flow data entry/warning intake agents (March to May). rates” (24 June to 5 July) led by the Directorate General for Pub- As part of the reopening of AIBD and in a bid to meet the chal- lic Health (Direction Générale de la Santé Publique -DGSP). A lenge with respect to health control of travellers during the workshop to consolidate the results was held (7 to 9 July), with COVID-19 pandemic, support was granted to the disease Pre- the aim of analysing the data collected (maps for each item in vention Directorate (Direction de la Prévention) to strengthen the guide were drawn up). A database was then designed and the control of inbound travellers by taking charge of 6 preven- submitted to the DGSP. tion agents (3 months). Points of Entry (PoEs) The border medical regions (Tambacounda, Kédougou, Kolda, Sédhiou, Ziguinchor, Matam, Saint-Louis, Kaffrine, Kaolack, and Fatick) as well as the Border Epidemiological Surveillance Cen- tres (Centres de Surveillance Epidémiologique aux Frontières) of AIBD and Port of Dakar were supported in assessing and strengthening the health control and surveillance system at Quarterly national supervision mission, point of entry of Ségou (Kédougou) PoEs. A total of 60 PoEs were covered, including 54 land, 2 sea, © IOM, 28 June 2020 and 4 air PoEs, amounting to a coverage rate of 76%. 2/9 Capacity and Need Assessment With respect to the strengthening of equipment for health con- A questionnaire to assess public health capacity and needs at trol of travellers, 71 thermoflashes and 674 “COVID-19 re- land, sea and air PoEs were developed in collaboration with sponse” polo shirts for community relays were distributed at DGSP and CDC as part of the quarterly national supervision the covered PoEs in these border regions. The Border Epidemi- mission (see above). During this mission, 20 PoEs including 18 ological Surveillance Centre at the port of Dakar received a do- land, 2 sea and 2 air PoEs (the key PoEs in the country) were nation of 10 thermoflashes and other basic medical equipment, assessed. Moreover, the questionnaire was sent to 40 PoEs not while the Border Epidemiological Surveillance Centre at AIBD covered by the supervision mission. A total of 60 PoEs in 13 regions were assessed. The data collected were integrated into the database. Training of defense and security forces agents at the point of entry of Saensoutou (Kédougou) © IOM, 2 June 2020 Assessment of public health capacity and needs at the point of entry of Prevention Dolol (Matam) © IOM, 7 July 2020 The points of entry in border regions were reinforced with in- fection prevention and control equipment. The distribution was Surveillance based on existing capacities and needs. A total of 60 hand- The local health authorities in border regions were supported washing stations, more than 4,265 hygiene products (soaps, to conduct training for border/PoE officers in COVID-19. Out of hydroalcoholic gels, bleach, etc.), 4,105 cloth masks for security 56 covered PoEs (and 4 other sites of interest), a total of 1,295 and defense forces and community relays, and about 2,800 agents were trained, including 178 in Kédougou, 137 in Tamba- surgical masks/N95/FFP3 were delivered to the covered land counda, 94 in Kolda, 139 in Sédhiou, 228 in Ziguinchor, 31 in PoEs and other sites of interest (health facilities, markets, bus Fatick, 7 in Kaffrine, 332 in Saint-Louis, and 159 in Matam (424 station, etc.).